1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Albert I.
ALBERT I., King of the Belgians (1875-), was born at Brussels April 8 1875, the younger son of Philip, Count of Flanders (1837-1905), brother of Leopold II., by his marriage with Princess Marie of Hohenzollern. The other children of this marriage were: Baldwin (b. 1869), Henriette, afterwards Duchess of Vendôme (b. 1870), a daughter who died in infancy, and Josephine, afterwards Princess Charles of Hohenzollern (b. 1872). The premature death of Prince Leopold, only son of Leopold II., on June 22 1869, made Prince Baldwin heir presumptive to the Belgian crown, but on the death of the young prince on Jan. 23 1891, Prince Albert became next in the line of succession. He was carefully educated, and showed a marked taste for engineering and mechanics, studying both naval and aerial construction. He received his training in military matters at the École Militaire under Gen. Jungblut, and also became a thorough all-round sportsman, taking much interest in mountaineering and later in aviation. On Oct. 2 1900 he was married at Munich to Princess Elisabeth (b. July 25 1876, at Possenhofen), second daughter of Duke Charles Theodore of Bavaria. Three children were born of this marriage: Leopold, Duke of Brabant (b. Nov. 3 1901), Charles, Count of Flanders (b. Oct. 10 1903), and Marie José (b. Aug. 4 1906).
Prince Albert also travelled widely, paying a visit to America in 1898, and in 1908 visiting England in order to study naval construction. In April 1909 he went to the Belgian Congo in order to acquaint himself with colonial conditions, returning in Aug. of the same year.
On the death of Leopold II. on Dec. 1 1909 Prince Albert took the oath of fidelity to the Belgian constitution and became king under the name of Albert I. He occupied himself more especially with the organization of the army and in May 1913 gave his assent to the law which was designed to secure for Belgium an army of 350,000 men. He also interested himself in various social and legal reforms, while his scientific tastes did not prevent him from becoming a friend of art and literature. The poet Verhaeren and the painter Laermans were on friendly terms with the royal family, the latter receiving personal attention from the Queen when he was threatened with the loss of his sight.
On Aug. 2 1914, when the Germans sent their ultimatum to Belgium, King Albert at once prepared to defend his country. He himself took command of the army. He only left Antwerp at the last possible moment, and then established himself with the army on the Yser. During the whole of the war he remained with the troops, having his headquarters at La Panne, where he was exposed to the risk of enemy bombardments. He made continual visits to the front-line trenches, and even surveyed the enemy's lines from an aeroplane. The Queen remained with him, acting as a nurse in the Hôpital de l'Océan at La Panne. She also interested herself deeply in the welfare of the soldiers in the trenches, and superintended the establishment of canteens and aid posts. Prince Leopold, King Albert's elder son, lived by his father's wish the life of a simple soldier in the 12th Regiment.
When the general offensive of Oct. 1918 was undertaken, King Albert was appointed commander of the northern army groups, consisting of both Belgians and French, which captured the forest of Houthulst, the Flandernstellung, Thourout, Ostend and Bruges, and forced the passage of the Lys. On Nov. 13 1918 the King and Queen made their entry into Ghent, and on Nov. 22 into Brussels, being received with enormous enthusiasm. Even before the signing of the Armistice the King had summoned at Lophem a number of politicians, and arranged a new Government containing representatives of the three more important Belgian political parties.
After the Armistice the King occupied himself actively with the improvement of conditions in his country, visiting the devastated areas, and contributing considerable sums to “King Albert's Fund,” which was devoted to providing temporary shelter for sufferers from the war. He also undertook journeys to Brazil, Spain, France, the United States and England, with the object of studying trade conditions and finding new outlets for Belgian commerce. The popularity of the King and Queen, great even before the war, steadily increased, even the Socialist party taking many opportunities of expressing feelings of respect towards the royal family. King Albert declined the augmentation of his civil list which was offered to him by the Chamber immediately after the war.
See P. Nothomb, Le Roi Albert; Laurent, Le Roi Albert; Baron Buyens, Les hommes de la Guerre — le Roi Albert; G. Mathys, Le Prince Albert; Mousseau, Le Prince Albert au Congo; La Mort de Léopold II. et l'Avènement du Roi Albert (Recueil de Documents, 1909); Roux, Le Roi Albert; Percy, The Life Story of Albert I., King of the Belgians (1914); MacDonnel (John de Courcy), The Life of H.M. King Albert (1915) and Belgium: her Kings, Kingdom and People (1914).
(J. P.)